Obama's Brand Imperialism
American political campaigns often have a campy way about them that mark our democratic core. One thing that has really bothered me about the Obama campaign is how slick and disciplined its campaign has been – it seems undemocratic. McCain has good design backing his message, but the Obama campaign has taken the message to a whole new ideological level with a certain design imperialism that is reminiscent of the darkest political regimes. The coherency between the Obama-Biden message and aesthetic is so tight that it denies any subtle reality to interact with it. It’s ironic that the single most threatening element to the Obama brand is Obama's own name, especially when hyphenated like Obama-Biden. The irony is thrown into sharp relief when set against the red, white, and airy-blue.
Obama's brand is elitist – it doesn't even give Obama's own name room to maneuver.
Obama's brand is elitist – it doesn't even give Obama's own name room to maneuver.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Michael on -
It is the nature of American politics to be elitist (i.e. Electoral College).
The greatest problem with the Obama campaign is he's starting out on top . . . as you stated he's greatest threat is himself and the tendency to stumble when leading in the polls. I expect his message and campaign, in general, will only tighten up over the next few months. The populist will be lost to the politician in the invetable battle of the "everyman" running for office. Jimmy Stewart did it before in the movies and Huey Long did it in Louisiana.
We can only hope that the man remains firm even while the politican does what it takes to be elected.
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Permalink Reply by everysandwich on -
"...a certain design imperialism that is reminiscent of the darkest political regimes."
I don't know much about design, but I've certainly noticed other elements of the campaign that make me feel that way. The claim that "It's not about me; it's about you" is straight out of the Edward Bernays playbook*, as is much of the less-than-objective media treatment of the campaign. The "Change" mantra is still so simplistic and vague as to seem Orwellian. I find myself playing the Rod Stewart performance of "Reason to Believe" in my head.
*This again gives me a chance to recommend one of the most fascinating documentaries I've ever seen, Century of the Self by Adam Curtis. I've not looked at advertising or politics the same way since seeing it. Here's the vid. It's long, but definitely thought provoking.
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Permalink Reply by AMANI SMITH on -
give the guy a break..you dont make sense brother...u want him to have a pink logo..or a dont feed the monkey logo?h a ha ..did i just say that..have agreatday brother
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Permalink Reply by Christina Daly on -
Do we need to be messy and disorganized to be truly American! I hope not! BO's campaign was wonderful. Many folks who never thought tbey would see a day of Black Power, are crying. Many thinking citizens are equally overjoyed to see the USA voting for open mindedness! Let's hope he wins. If not, I may MOVE!
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Permalink Reply by philip chudy on -
'You are not intelligent enough to come across as reassuringly stupid'.
'You have failed the democratic test’
Is that it?
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Permalink Reply by Buddy 'Friendly' Wachenheimer on
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Someone has been watching too many movies and late night TV.
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Permalink Reply by Paul Zink on -
I've worked in advertising for around 30 years (20 of them as a CD), yet I have no clue what you're talking about.
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Permalink Reply by Guitarkat on -
I agree 100% I also don't like that 'nice' little picture of him in his turbin. (sp?) I am American not muslim so can't spell it correctly.
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Permalink Reply by RODGER LUTTERODT on -
Ok! Folks, let's get real for a split second! I know a lot about advertising designs too and want to believe that W.T. Alexy's write up is very very biased indeed.
First of all, what's so ''undemocratic'' about the Obama-Biden campaign designs? Must all campaign designs follow the same straight forward/jacket approach as we've experienced since campaign advertising was started? I definitely don't think so. What's more, the writer sounds awfully Republican by the nature of tone and diction. Aren't you just a kind republican critic siding for political sake? Please be realistic. I think the Obama-Biden campaign designs are totally out of the norm group and what we expect to see in every season campaign ads. Perhaps, that's what has jolted you. I think it's working and lots of Americans can easily see themselves emersed in its strong messages and images, -''elitist'' or not.
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Permalink Reply by W.T. Alexy on
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Rodger,
Thank you for replying. I'd like to make a distinction between design and brand. I have no issue with the design. It's clever, beautifully executed and appealing, rather I'm reacting to the brand's pervasiveness. Personally, I take issue with both party's campaign message as intellectually dishonest, but this post is specifically regarding the Obama brand because I feel that it has achieved the highest level of PR manipulation yet seen in American politics. Exposing my point of view is simply a way for me to explore other's insights into this issue.
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P.S. I realized after reading these comments that the title of my post didn't serve the content very well. The title has been updated. Know any good copywriters?
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@everysandwich Thanks for the link. I hadn't heard of Bernays – fascinating study.
@Amani and @Christina My comments are less about Obama's politics or color choices, but more about the massive manipulation that it takes to achieve his campaign's level of brand coherency. His campaign is playing politics of course, but is it democratic? In his book "Design, Form and Chaos" Paul Rand writes that Good Design is Goodwill. As designers and marketing professionals we need to be mindful of how our trade can be misused. @Christina, orderliness is neutral. In other words it can be used for good or bad. Again the question is, has the Obama brand achieved a new level of political manipulation that is undemocratic?
@philip, yes, those are questions that I believe a cynical elite would ask of its constituency.
@Buddy I didn't mean to imply that Obama's campaign is disguising a dark regime with evil motives, rather that this level of aesthetic control is used by regimes who don't trust the general public. In a word, it's undemocratic.
@paul “It is when I struggle to be brief that I become obscure.” Hopefully the comments above will clarify my point of view.
@Guitarkat Hopefully, you're not serious. The ability to gracefully interact with diverse cultures is honorable and respectable.
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